


Things They Said

by spookyscullyy



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:12:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3318674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyscullyy/pseuds/spookyscullyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I got a bunch of great tumblr asks and I wanted to compile them all here so they'd be easier to read, and they didn't have to clog up my dash. All Mulder x Scully, but sprinkled throughout their relationship and the show.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. things you said when you were drunk

"I lied." Mulder leaned over Scully and turned down the music they had been listening to, twisting towards her on the slightly sweaty couch. He remained hovering closer to her body, blowing whiskey tinged breath into her grimacing mouth. 

"What?" Scully was having a hard time focusing on anything other than Mulder’s protruding bottom lip, and they had been having such a good time, hadn’t they? What was he saying? His tone seemed piercing and important, so with a herculean effort she raised her gaze from his lips to his eyes. 

"When I said I’d never seen you as a mother before," He paused, and reached over to touch her face. His eyes were full of sorrow, but his grasp was soft and safe against her jawline as he continued, "You’d be a great mom. You’re kind, You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, and you take care of me every single day. Any child would be lucky to have you."

Scully’s head spun, overwhelmed by a combination of the drink, their closeness, and the sudden subject change (they had been discussing the merits and drawbacks of pornography a mere five minutes prior). She registered the import of his words somewhere in the bit of her brain that was still functioning, but the way his fingers were gently sweeping up and down her cheeks was more immediate. Now was not the time to dwell on what she lacked, but rather seize what was in front of her. 

"Mulder," she whispered, eyes once again traveling downward back to his obscenely pink lips. "You talk entirely too much."


	2. things you said when you thought i was asleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set a little before "All Things"

She laughed softly, and pushed back his hair from his forehead, much as she did when she told him she was “checking for cuts”. This time though, she didn’t need an excuse. Ten minutes ago, his breathing had evened out, and his chest now rose and fell in a pleasing, steady rhythm. She should have known, Dracula always put him to sleep. Perhaps that’s why he had suggested it; lately neither of them had been sleeping well, and rest was hard to come by. 

She thought briefly of grabbing her keys and going home, but then realized she would probably sleep better curled around Mulder on this small couch then she would in her cold too-big bed at home. She grabbed a soft blanket from where it had fallen on the floor, and tried to ignore the presence of some small stains. 

As Scully wrapped the blanket around where she lay, pressed into Mulder, close enough to indulge in his body heat but not enough to wake him up, she leaned into his ear and breathed “thank you for making me not afraid to believe”. The sentiment might change with the rising of the sun, but for now, she hoped some part of his dormant consciousness would register her gratefulness. She thought he ought to know the way in which he had opened up the universe to her, even as they watched shitty horror movies on a saturday night. 

As Scully eased into the most peaceful sleep she could remember, Mulder’s mouth stretched into a sleepy smile. He was careful not to open his eyes or alert his partner to his attention. Mulder knew he would never bring it up, but he would hold this confession close to his heart.


	3. things you said under the stars and in the grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is a college!au piece, complete with punk!scully and nerd!mulder

"mulder, this is ridiculous. it’s a wednesday night! i have so much work to do and it’s cold and-” scully’s earnest but half-hearted protests were cut off as mulder leaned over and slapped a gloved hand over his tiny friend’s mouth. he had to crouch down a bit to reach, and stumbled in the dark. Scully barked a short laugh and hiked her bookbag higher on her shoulder. 

"that’s what you get, nerd!" she nudged him softly to let him know she wasn’t actually mad. mulder shrugged as nonchalantly as he could in his giant puffy parka and grabbed her hand, pulling them along into the wide open grass of the quad. it was 11:47 pm on a wednesday in february, and they were all alone. 

After running breathlessly for a minute, mulder put out his hand and stopped scully. “here. we’re at the exact center of campus.” he reached behind him into his bulging backpack and pulled out a thin blanket emblazoned with the neon face of an alien. As Mulder spread it out on the frostbitten ground, Scully rolled her eyes. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but she supposed this is the sort of thing she had signed up for when she chose a boy named spooky to be her best friend. He let her paint his nails black and went with her to loud, screaming, basement concerts, and she layed in the middle of the frozen ground in the middle of the night. An equal trade-off. 

She glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then snuggled up close to mulder, who unzipped his enormous jacket to use as a sort of blanket for them both. She accepted the warm gratefully as the moisture from the grass underneath them started to seep through the thin blanket he had brought. She decided not to say anything. 

"what are we doing here, mulder?" He looked over at her and just shook his head lightly, pointing to the sky. She gasped. All around them were small (and some not so small) pinpricks of light. She could point of ursa major, and ursa minor, of course, but there seemed to be ten times more illumination than normal tonight, and each separate star shone more brilliantly. She reflected that it could be the present company that was making the heavens seem more beautiful tonight, and then chided herself for that sappy thought. 

Mulder watched her face light up, and then launched into a complicated explanation of planet alignments and atmospheric haze in order to keep her attention away from his burning cheeks. She was already so far out of his league, he couldn’t let Scully see him blush. 

An hour and a half later both of their feet were frozen solid (Scully’s combat boots fit her rough and tumble look but did not provide insulation from the damp) but neither wanted to move. Scully had taken her flask with her in her bookbag as usual, and had shared with Mulder. They had finished the Peach Schnapps (That’s not very punk of you Scully, Mulder had gently mocked) 30 minutes ago, and the manufactured warmth had escaped with it. 

She rolled over on top of him and enjoyed the look of panic that flashed across his face and the way his round glasses were askew. “relax spooky. i’m not going to bite.” he laughed, still nervous but allowing her to stay perched with her elbows digging into his stomach. They were both a little loose with each other tonight. 

She leaned in closer, and swatted him as she felt his heartbeat speed up. she hovered above his mouth for almost a full minute, reveling in the fact that he remained completely still, and enjoying the payback for him dragging her out here. Finally, she leaned down and gave him a peck right on the tip of his nose. Mulder let out the breath he’d been holding and produced a high pitched giggle. “what was that for?”

Scully laid her head on his chest (right ear down because the left was full of spiky earrings) and murmured, “I’m glad i smacked into you in the hallway during orientation week,” he hummed agreement and she continued, “and i’m really glad you’re spooky. don’t ever change.” 

There was a moment of silence while they stared up into the starry night so they didn’t need to look at eachother. Then Mulder playfully ruffled Scully’s hair and said, “Make sure you write that in my yearbook so I can show it to my mom. She’ll never believe you said that otherwise.”


	4. things you said after you kissed me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> iwtb era

"Mulder I’m sorry, I have no time for this! I need to get to work," Scully pushed Mulder away from her with one hand as she shoved one pearl earing into her ear with the other. He mock-stumbled, and fell backwards into their mussed up bed, flinging one long arm over his face in distress. 

"Dana, Dana, Dana, you’re no fun.” Mulder met her eyes in the mirror and pulled an over exaggerated puppy dog face. 

"Yeah well, keep calling me Dana and you’ll see just how no fun I can be," Scully refused to give in to the needling playfulness in his gaze. 

Not to be deterred, Mulder licked his lips exaggeratedly and whispered, “Is that a promise?” Scully huffed and stalked her way over to their bathroom while Mulder stretched out and enjoyed the view. He always thought it was funny that she put on stockings, pumps, and jewelry before putting on any actual clothes. She said it was because she didn’t want to get her blouses wrinkled until she left, but Mulder suspected she just liked to get him riled up. 

He got up when he heard the sink water running, and padded over in his bare feet to join her by the double vanity. She was brushing her teeth vigorously, attacking them with (he thought) an unnecessary ferocity. Mulder smiled and poked her in the ribs, laughing as she startled and spit out toothpaste into the sink. 

"You are being spectacularly annoying this fine morning." Her tone was firm but her eyes danced as he came up behind her to give her a decidedly mischievous hug. 

"You know you love it." Before Scully could wriggle away and finish getting ready, he leaned down, turned her cheek, and captured her lips with his. The heat increased as he remembered she was only wearing her black heels and he was still in his boxers. Maybe he could convince her to stay home from work after all. She was completely facing him at this point, toothbrush dropped on the floor. He took the opportunity to grab her around the waist and hoist her onto the bathroom counter (never a bad time to remind her he had been working out). She gave a little gasp but was still preoccupied with whatever his mouth was currently doing against hers. 

Mulder smiled against her lips and brought a hand around, inching it down towards to edge of her silk panties. She pulled away, grabbing his wrist and shaking her head, with the quirk in her lips he knew so well. Damn. 

As she hopped off the counter and started to fix her hair as he leaned against the door to watch, she winked at him and murmured, “If the beard is gone by the time I get back, maybe we can finish what we started.”


	5. things you said when you were crying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this takes place during "per manum"

"I totally understand if you don’t want to. You don’t have to explain. Everything can just go back to normal, and we don’t ever have to talk about this again. Pretend I didn’t say anything I-" Looking at her flushed face, full of anxiety but trying to make him feel more comfortable, he raced to put her at ease. 

"Scully, Scully. Slow down. I’ve thought about it, and I’ll do it." Scully paused with her mouth open, standing so far away from him they might as well be in separate rooms. He waited for her to process his words, not wanting to scare her away. He watched her expressive face cycle through shock, wonder, fear, and affection, until she launched herself at him, and he pretended not to feel the wet tears on his suit jacket shoulder. 

They rocked back in forth in the small landing in front of her door for what seemed like hours, even though objectively he thought it was probably only a minute or two. She just kept clutching his neck and whispering “thank you, thank you, thank you” into his hairline while he rubbed her back in small circles and tried to quiet the small flutter of panic in his stomach. 

As she pulled back and brushed the tears from her eyes, he blinked away the moisture in his own. Her trembling lips creeped into a hesitant smile as she tried (and failed) to reconstruct their personal boundaries, and as Mulder looked up and down at her crumpled but reinvigorated form, he knew he had made the right decision. This woman, with her dark circles, fiery hair, and heels that tried to fool people into thinking she was taller than she was, this woman was everything good he had in the world. She deserved a child, and he was going to try to give her one. It was the least he could do.


	6. things you said while we were driving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i imagine this somewhere in season 1/2

"Mulder, I am not kidding I will jump out of this car right now.” Scully’s stockinged feet wiggled on the dashboard as she let her hand dangle out the window, safety be damned. 

Mulder kept one hand on the wheel and reached over to pinch her cheek with the other. “Scully, come on. This song is a classic.” He glanced over at her for the hundredth time that hour, watching as the wind messed up her hair and caressed the freckles dusting her closed eyelids. As Scully groaned in the dying light of the evening, Mulder put on his best falsetto and cranked up the radio. 

"Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that the heart does go ooooon," he took a deep breath and continued over her reluctant giggles, "Ooooonce more you ooooopen the door, and you’re here in my heart, and my heart will go on and on…." 

"FOX MULDER," Scully had opened her eyes and was fuming, "We have been in this car for two hours, and we have three more to go. If i have to hear this song one more time, I will roll out onto this highway and let a truck run me over." She leaned over the smack his upper arm for emphasis. The roadway was deserted so he swerved the car playfully, just to hear her shriek. 

He wasn’t sure what prompted this good mood, but Mulder knew he was going to milk it for as long as it lasted, praise be to Celine Dion. He was more focused on the way that the setting sun was bathing her in fire and making her look like a goddess of an ancient religion he didn’t believe in, than he was on the rules of the road. As the miles stretched by, he serenaded her with visions of kate and leo, hanging off of a sinking ship (he shifted awkwardly in his seat when he thought of the scene in the car) ignoring all protests to his right. Maybe next time he would let her tiny legs drive, if only so he could finally get an accurate count of the freckles on his face.


	7. things you said with no space between us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after mulder's return in s8

She tried to find a space to rest her head or her hand, any possible way she could make contact without causing him pain. They had told her not to go into his room, to let him recover on his own time. What did they know? She had to restrain herself from spitting straight into their faces. This was Mulder and she was Scully and she had spent too many sleepless days and nights trying to get back to him to let him sleep without her now. 

She tried to take comfort in the steady beeping of the monitors, concrete proof that he actually was with her now. She dragged a heavy chair to his bedside with shaking, exhausted arms and gingerly laced her fingers with his, trying not to jostle the place where the IV was pumping life-saving liquid into his veins. She pushed the brittle hair back from her tired eyes and drank in his face as if she were dying of thirst, crawling through a desert, which actually was not unlike how she had been feeling these last few months. 

She thought of closing her eyes and sleeping along with him, but every time her eyelids drooped she was back in the forest, clutching at his body and screaming at the sky, trying to rip her vocal chords out to make it hurt less. Or she was sitting, frozen in a chair at his graveside, among a group full of people whom she considered responsible for killing her partner, as they lowered him into the ground while she was stuck there, useless, carrying his child. 

Sometimes her tired brain played tricks on her and sped up the beeping of the machines, or slowed it down, and her body would tense and her mind would ready itself to spring into action, to use her medical training to save him again and to make him stay. It turned out it was much easier just to stay alert, especially when the tears came. 

Over time the nurses learned to leave them alone, and Scully was able to find a position where she could crawl into the bed with him, and finally their hearts could be aligned. The first time she tried, she was too scared to move any of his limbs, and so she stayed in the chair, gripping his open hand with white knuckles. Soon however, she craved more contact, and managed to slip herself against the curve of his fragile spine without knocking anything out of place. She nearly wept when she realized how small he felt, and how easily she could envelop him beside her, when once he had dwarfed her through sheer presence. 

She spent as much time as she could bear next to him, cradling their growing child between them. She hoped he could feel the baby, could feel her, could feel anything. She sang sometimes, desperately thinking maybe Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog would tickle something deep within his aching consciousness and bring him back to her. She had discovered long ago that the baby loved this tune, and would kick her until her insides pulsed. Now, she was glad for that motion, and pretended like it was Mulder’s child reaching out for its father, telling him to “hurry up and wake up, because Mommy needs you”. 

She lay as close as the baby would let her, tears drenching his scratchy pillow, and she spoke to their child, telling it the adventures its parents had had; dreams of aliens and of starlight, of lost people returning safely home. Sometimes she could hear Mulder chiming in, correcting details she had forgotten, or adding in jokes and colorful details she wouldn’t think to include. One day, she thought, he’ll tell the child stories I never could. “You just have to come back to us,” she breathed into his ear, no less true for having been uttered a thousand times before.


	8. things you said with too many miles between us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> during "Ascension"

He had seen her journal before when she thought he wasn't looking, and had laughed it off as a silly habit, probably something she picked up at the academy. He had never understood the purpose of writing your thoughts down for yourself. He was never able to escape his own mind, the thought of recording everything in a neat little book seemed both overkill, and like reveling in your own pain. No thanks, he'd leave to self-rumination to Scully. 

Now that she was gone and he was left pacing figure eights in his basement prison, he could see the appeal. He didn't want to talk to himself, but he needed to talk to her, and she had been taken away from him. He was approaching nearly 36 hours without sleep, but everytime he sat down he saw her round face, screaming out, begging him to help her. He saw her being hauled off by Duane Barry, fighting harder than the man expected, maybe almost getting away several times. Was she bleeding, did she understand what was happening? Did she blame him?

He knew she wouldn't blame him, but he also knew she should. This was all his fault. He had corrupted the bright star that had been gifted to him, and now he had lost her. A sharp pain jolted through Mulder's arm, and he realized with a bit of a start that he had punched a hole through his "I Want to Believe" poster. He rummaged through the emergency kit in his bottom left desk drawer, chiding himself. Scully would be very disappointed in him if she came back and saw he had a broken hand. When she came back, he corrected. 

It turned out the wrist was just bruised, and it didn't actually hurt as much as the squeezing in his chest. He couldn't go back to the basement, so he raced home, only to find that the thought of sleeping there turned his stomach. He saw Scully bent over her little notebook, scrawling god knows what (she never let him look) and got an idea. Running to the stack of books beside his desk, he rummaged around until he found a legal pad that was only slightly crumpled. This would have to do. 

He poured himself a cup of coffee, ignoring the fact that it was cold, and cleared off a space at his desk. The room was dark except for one small table lamp that cast his frame in shadows. He yanked the cap off a pen and settled down, head bent and eyes tired but burning. 

"Dear Scully. It's been almost five days and I don't know what to do. I've yelled at everyone I can yell at, I've poured through all our case files, I've fantasized about murdering several people. Now all that's left is doodling on this stupid page, as you can probably guess, I'm desperate. I need to find you. I see your face everywhere, as dumb as that sounds. Yesterday, someone walked into the basement by accident and i thought it was you. I leapt out of my chair and i ran over and i hugged this strange man before it even registered that he wasn't you. I scared the shit out of him. You would've laughed." 

Mulder's hands were shaking and his already illegible handwriting grew even messier. He had to keep going. 

"I'm so sorry. I don't think you'll ever read this, but I need it to be said somewhere. Wherever you are, I hope you know that I never wanted any of this to happen. I didn't want you in my life at all. Don't take that the wrong way. I didn't want anyone in my life. I've seen what being around me does to people, and it never ends well. Everyone ends up leaving or taken away from me. I didn't want that to be your fate. You were so full of life, full of hope, practically glowing with a drive to discover and to mold. You thought I was the interesting one, the one to be studied. But while you were looking at all those slideshows I so proudly put together for you, I was looking at you. 

I saw a young woman with so much before her. I saw someone with the ability to take over this whole damn Bureau, someone who deserved to live in the sunlight. How could I wish you into a gloomy life in the gutter with me? That would be more selfish than you deserved. 

Somewhere along the line though, we became a pair. You didn't escape soon enough. We became Scully and Mulder, Mulder and Scully, and I knew you would never be able to wash the stain of me away. Please forgive me for that, Scully." 

Tears blotted the cheap paper and Mulder roughly wiped them away, watching the moisture bleed into the words and distort her name, spreading it until the Scully became bigger than anything else on the page. He laughed at the appropriateness of that. She had become more important than anything else in his life, save Samantha. And they had both been taken away. 

"I will find you, I promise. If I do nothing else with my useless life, I will have you safe and home, even if I have to rend apart the heavens and wrestle with your God to do it. I will not fail you," 

The light on his desk suddenly flickered and went out, leaving Mulder alone in the dark. He laid his head down on his scrawled words, and felt the wet Scully imprint itself onto his face.


	9. things you said when we were the happiest we ever were

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this can exist anywhere along their timeline, you decide :)

"This has got to be the greasiest cheeseburger i've ever had" Scully's chin was indeed dripping with grease, and there was a spot of melted cheese on the end of her chin Mulder was having a very difficult time not licking straight off of her. 

He flashed a toothy grin and said, "True, but aren't you glad you didn't order a salad?" Scully was too busy shoveling fries into her mouth to respond, so Mulder took that as answer enough. 

They were holed up in a corner booth in a small diner 45 minutes outside of Richmond, Virginia. Mulder couldn't remember the name, but there was a dancing anthropomorphic cow in the logo, so he knew it was going to be great. 

The dulcet tones of some country crooner wafted from a giant jukebox and Mulder hummed along as he watched Scully destroy the food in front of her. They had both been hungry after the days of investigation, and Scully was never one to eat delicately around him. He appreciated that. Sometimes she even let him wipe food from the corner of her mouth, and didn't comment on how long his eyes lingered there. As he stared at the errant glob of cheese, he hoped tonight would be one of those nights. 

They finished dinner and ordered dessert, neither agent really wanting to get back on the road; just enjoying one another's company. Mulder was telling stories about guys he went to the academy with, including a man who wore his hair slicked straight back everyday, even during field practice. Scully laughed when Mulder told her the guy had basically been in a relationship with coffee. They had both had enough beer to decide that they should feed each other bites of the cherry pie, and Mulder took great pleasure scraping his teeth against the metal tines of the fork and watching her squirm at the grating noise. 

"Mulder, that's bad for your teeth!" She was so earnest he wanted to kiss her. Maybe later he would. But for now he just seized the opportunity to brush her cheek. When he pulled back and showed her the bit of cheese, he was taken aback by the faint blush on her cheeks. Well, that was new....or it could be the alcohol. 

He slid out of the sticky booth and strutted over the the jukebox, slipping in a few coins. As "Walking in Memphis" drifted back to their booth he ignored Scully's protests and dragged her, stumbling slightly, to a place where there weren't any tables. He pointed out that there was only one other customer in the diner, and he didn't seem to be paying them any attention. 

He put her hand on his waist, and placed a hand in hers, drinking in the sound of her laughter as he unexpectedly threw her back into a dip. As they twirled, egged on by cheap beer and the end of a case, he tried to remember the last time they had been this comfortable this close together. Maybe never. 

Surrounded by dirty linoleum and Elvis themed wall art, with a tank half full of gas and nowhere to be, he looked into her bright blue eyes and sighed. She seemed to be feeling the same way, and laid her head to rest softly on his shoulder, leaning up on tiptoes to reach. They stayed until closing time, then turned the car towards DC, holding hands across the seats.


	10. things you said through your teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> set during the cancer arc

The words tasted like rust in her mouth but she needed to choke them out for both their sakes. She slowly leaned off of Mulder’s shoulder after stumbling for the third time that day, looked in his remorseful eyes, and murmured, “I’m fine, Mulder”. The phrase rang false in her own ears, but she needed him to hear her, even if he didn’t believe. 

"woah there cowboy, somebody’s not as good at walking in heels as they think they are…" He gently grabbed her upper arm to make sure she was steady, but he was the one with the quiver in his voice. "I think I should probably drive you home, i don’t trust your weak ankles to get you there safely."

Scully made the requisite noises of protest, but she let him guide her to his car and dutifully climbed into the passenger seat. She was trying to walk the fragile line between acknowledging what was happening to her body, and pretending like everything was business as usual. She maintained a good natured scowl while Mulder rattled off lines that sounded like they were written in a child’s joke book. 

They were about halfway to her apartment (driven in a taut silence that pressed on her chest like the ocean she had grown up with) when Mulder pulled over into a small parking lot. He turned off the engine and swiveled to meet her questioning gaze. “For once in your life Scully, just follow my lead and don’t ask questions.” 

He unfolded his legs and stepped out of the car, moving around the the trunk. She sat still in the car, rankled by his tone but also just observing whatever plan he had up his rolled sleeves. As he strode up the the hood of the car he yelled to her “C’mon Scully, and turn off the lights, will you?” 

She watched him spread out a blanket on the hood of the car and leap up on top (with more aplomb than she thought entirely necessary), jostling the car and shaking her out of her reverie. With a heaving sigh she turned the headlights off and climbed gingerly out of her seat. She had a bit of a hard time getting on top of the hood (which she suspected mulder had anticipated, judging by the laughing coming from his position in the dark). Scully finally settled herself on the hard metal and looked at his tired face, illuminated by the bright stars above them. “What on earth are we doing, Mulder?”

He scooted closer to her, grabbed her hand and pointed up using her index finger. “Do you see that group of stars there?” Scully didn’t answer; the sensation of his warm hands totally enveloping her own was very distracting in the cold night. 

"umm… yes, sure Mulder." 

"That is the constellation Virgo." His hand was still pointing her own, but he continued to scoot closer to her, trying to share his warmth (and maybe his strength, she reflected later). 

"Mulder, I’m a pisces, and I’m definitely not a virgin." She tried to keep the mood light. 

"I know Scully…. I’m trying to tell a story. Just listen." He brought her hand down between them but didn’t let it go. After a few minutes she settled her head on his shoulder and ignored the hard metal beneath them. 

"There are many different versions of the myth accompanying this group of stars, but my favorite is about Astraea, the goddess of justice. Some people call her the "Star Maiden". It is said that she often followed Zeus into battle, and was one of the only goddesses he trusted to carry his thunder bolts." Here his voice took on a soothing, lilting tone, and his free hand began stroking her hair. Scully realized that whatever the point of this tale was, it was just as important for him to tell it as it was for her to hear it. She stayed silent and attentive, and tried her best not to drift off in his arms. 

"During the Golden Age where the gods coexisted on Earth with mankind, Astraea was worshipped for her beauty, her fierce nature, and her commitment to justice. When the god’s started to leave Earth for their new home on Olympus, Astraea was the last to leave. She had a great love for humanity, even with all their flaws, and they worshipped her in return. Finally though, she left to follow Zeus and the rest of the gods to Mount Olympus, taking the scales of justice with her, and effectively bringing the golden age of man to a close. When mankind realized this, they hoped and prayed for her return. Although she never came back down from Olympus, her form is still prominent in the night sky, and there’s always a chance she could come back and bring humanity a new golden age." 

He had evidently finished the bulk of his sermon, and Scully wondered how many times he’d told this story before; it sounded almost rehearsed, although sincere. They sat in quiet silence for sometime before Scully whispered, “Are you saying you’re Zeus and i’m your star maiden, always following behind you holding your weapons for you?”

He laughed quietly, and she could feel the comforting rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek. “I’m trying to compliment you Scully. You have brought me my own golden age,” Scully rolled her eyes, but she supposed he was putting his fancy degree to good use, “You’ve given me the passion and motivation to keep going, and personally I think more people should be worshipping you.”

She huffed and gave him a light punch in the arm, “Well you’re damn right about that, Mulder.” 

He didn’t laugh in return, but raised her head off his shoulder, forcing her to look into his eyes, “You’re not allowed to leave me for Olympus, because I am not ready to only communicate with you through the stars. That’s not enough for me.” 

She wanted desperately to look away and hide from the desperation she could see written all over his face, but this man was essentially calling her a goddess, and she owed him the courage he saw in her: “Mulder. I promise I won’t abandon you for the constellations anytime soon.” His eyes skirted over her face as though he could see her freckles even in the dark, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he could. 

His face was tight, and she could feel his chest rising with a primal pressure deep within. The last time she had seen him cry was over Samantha, but she could recognize the signs, and she felt a responding condition in her own throat. They both pretended everything was fine, and slowly Mulder breathed through gritted teeth and tense jaw, “That’s all I ask.”

He drove her home and she dreamt of a man, worshipping the stars. In the morning her pillow was moist, and a dotted pattern of scarlet blood welcomed the new dawn.


End file.
